'Barbie and Ken' Video Calls For Ouster Of Nation's Top Product Safety Official

WASHINGTON — As the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear this week, a growing number of citizen and consumer groups are calling on the Consumer Product Safety Commission to better protect children from dangerous toys that have made it to store shelves this year. The Campaign for America's Future has released a humorous video, featuring a "toxic" encounter between the famous Barbie and Ken dolls, calling for the resignation of CPSC Acting Director Nancy Nord. Nord has opposed legislation to strengthen CPSC oversight on toy safety and been caught taking trips paid for by the toy industry.

Today the CPSC released its annual "ABCs of Toy Safety" report, enumerating the cautions parents should take into consideration when purchasing toys. Notably absent in their "Top Safe Shopping Tips" are recommendations on taking precautions to avoid lead-contaminated products - one of the most significant toy hazards this year.

The Campaign for America's Future's video reminds viewers that accessories for Barbie dolls were among the millions of imported toys recalled this year because of toxic levels of lead paint or other serious safety problems. In the new video, Barbie and Ken run into each other at a bar and their post-break up reunion ends the next morning at the Barbie Dream House. Soon Barbie complains to Ken that she is "having some symptoms." When Ken asks Barbie what's wrong, she responds, "It's…it's lead poisoning." The video ends with a call to sign the petition calling for Nord's resignation. (The video can be seen at ourfuture.org.)

The call for Nord's resignation has grown over the past month. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., called for the resignation of Nancy Nord on a news conference call sponsored by the Campaign for America's Future last month. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., and others have also sounded the call that Nord must go.

Earlier this month the Campaign for America's Future released a report detailing how the federal government has gutted the agency responsible for consumer protections. The budget and staff of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the government agency responsible for monitoring consumer goods in the U.S., is less than half the level it was when it started in 1974. At the same time, world imports have increased by 338 percent since 1974. Imports from China, the main producer of toys, has increased nearly 3,900 percent since 1985. Inspection has been slashed even as the need for it has multiplied.

The Campaign for America's Future is among several groups fighting for improved consumer protection. Today, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group released a new report detailing dangerous toys on the shelves this holiday season. The United Steelworkers have been running a "Get the Lead Out" campaign providing families with lead testing kits for their homes. The Consumers Union has launched a video and petition for stricter protections on toys and food this week, and Public Citizen is also collecting signatures for its petition demanding Nord's ouster.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown yesterday sued 20 companies in state court, including Mattel Inc. and Toys "R" Us, claiming they sold toys containing "unlawful quantities of lead" and failing to caution consumers. The law suit alleges that the companies violated the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986.

# # #

**NOTE: To view the new video or obtain an electronic copy of the Campaign for America's Future's report on Toxic Trade, please visit ourfuture.org. **